Household Pesticide Contamination from Indoor Pest Control Applications in Urban Low-Income Public Housing Dwellings: A Community-Based Participatory Research

Abstract

We designed this community-based participatory research (CBPR) project aiming to generate evidence-based research results in order to encourage residents living in urban low-income public housing dwellings engaging in a community-wide integrated pest management (IPM) program with the intention to improve their health and quality of life, as well as household conditions. We enrolled 20 families and their children in this study in which we utilized environmental exposure assessment (surface wipe and indoor air) tools to quantitatively assessing residential pesticide exposure in young children before the implementation of an IPM program. We analyzed those samples for 19 organophosphate (OP) and pyrethroid pesticides. The most commonly detected pesticides were pyrethroids, particularly permethrin and cypermethrin with average concentrations of 2.47 and 3.87 µg/m2, respectively. In many dwellings, we detected OPs, which are no longer available on the market, however, their levels are significantly lower than those of pyrethroids. None of the 20 families was free from pesticide contamination in their households, and pesticides were commonly detected in living room and children’s bedroom. The correlation among household hygienic conditions, the sighting of live pests/pest debris, and the degree of indoor pesticide contamination highlights the failure of conventional chemical-based applications for pest controls. The results from the current study, as well as other recent studies, conducted in low-income public housing, child care centers, and randomly selected homes in the U.S. should accentuate the need for alternative pest management programs that incorporate safer and more sustainable protocols for pest controls.

The Legal Implications of Report Back in Household Exposure Studies

“…This review refers to studies examining chemical exposures in homes, or “household exposure research.” These studies have demonstrated that household air and dust contain dozens of potentially harmful chemicals (Brody et al 2009; Rudel et al 2003; Mercier et al 2011; Ashmore and Dimitroupoulou 2009; Weschler and Nazaroff 2008), including some that are heavily regulated or banned, such as lead, asbestos, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Arcury et al 2014; Lu et al 2013). Others, such as flame retardants, phthalates, or parabens, are approved for current use or are treated differently in different jurisdictions (Julien et al 2008; Dodson et al 2012b; Johnson et al 2010; Allen et al 2007; Bornehag et al 2004; Su et al 2013; Wilson et al 2007).…”

Organophosphate Pesticide Urinary Metabolites Among Latino Immigrants

“…Although most OP pesticides were withdrawn from residential use in the US in the early 2000s, data from the 2007–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicate that exposure remains common. 34,35 OP exposure pathways in the non-agricultural US population include OP pesticide residues on food, 36,37 environmental exposures to remaining residues from residential pesticide application, 38 and non-agricultural occupational exposures. 39 Assessments of OP pesticide exposure in non-agricultural US populations have focused on vulnerable communities, and have been largely limited to analyses of prenatal and early life OP exposure and child development.…”

Lifetime and current pesticide exposure among Latino farmworkers in comparison to other Latino immigrants

“…That these immigrants live in situations in which they are exposed to pesticides is not surprising. Analyses consistently indicate that pesticide exposure is ubiquitous among Latinos in their communities of origin [Domínguez-Cortinas et al, 2013; Meza-Montenegro et al, 2013; Payán-Rentería et al, 2012; Sánchez-Guerra et al, 2011], as well as in their US communities, whether the US communities are agricultural or urban [Arcury et al 2009a, 2009b, 2010; Coronado et al 2011 Fenske et al 2013; Lu et al 2013; Julien et al 2007; McConnell et al 2005; Quirós-Alcalá et al 2011]. …”

“…Farmworkers also had more current residential exposure than non-farmworkers, thus increasing the relative health risks for farmworkers. Environmental measures of specific residential exposure for Latino farmworkers and non-farmworkers, as well as other vulnerable populations, are available [Arcury et al, 2013; Lu et al, 2013; Quandt et al, 2004; Quirós-Alcalá et al, 2011]. …”